TITLE: Secrets 1 - A New Home
SERIES: Shifting Tides (part 4.1)
AUTHOR: Scorpio
ARCHIVE: To anyone who archived the other stories in this series.

FANDOM: Herc/Xenaverse
PAIRING: Cupid/Strife
RATING: R (adult themes - see warning)
CATEGORY: Mpreg, Angst, Darkfic

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to various myths, legends and Ren Pics/Flat Earth Prod.

WARNING * WARNING * WARNING * WARNING
This series deals with an Mpreg that resulted in a Miscarriage due to gross negligence and cruelty. The story-tone is very dark and angsty and the subject matter is one that is extremely sensitive. Please don't feel obligated to read this if it is not something you are comfortable with.

SUMMARY: Secrets kept close are slowly revealed. Aphrodite is given a task.

Shifting Tides
Secrets 1 - A New Home

It had been another long and depressing day. Tired and angry, Aphrodite slowly made her way through the gilded rooms of her home temple until she came to the inner sanctum, the very center of her power. She wanted nothing more than a long soothing bubble bath and then sleep.

What she got was a message coded specifically for her.

As she stepped into her personal bedroom, the first thing the worn and weary Love Goddess noticed was the refreshing scent of salty sea air. A cool gentle breeze seemed to blow over her skin, calming her churning emotions like a healing balm. Then, almost imperceptible at first, a wash of love and longing swept over her, embracing her in invisible arms. The sensation of being cherished and adored poured into her, stripping away days of depression and hopelessness, leaving her feeling invigorated and with hope.

That's when the words entered her mind. Softly, that dearly beloved voice spoke to her with the deep rolling tones of the ocean surf pounding upon the shore.

*Daughter. Ever do I miss the light you shine so brightly, but now is not the time for us to grieve our ancient wrongs. Now is the time to right the wrongs of the young. Send to me your child and with him his mate. Heal them I will. Protect them I will. Hide them we must. Secrets will out, but not yet.*

With one last mental caress of love and hope, the voice was gone. The voice of her father... her *real* father.

*

It hadn't taken long to find Cupid. He was always in one of his temples these days. Sometimes it was his temple on Olympus, sometimes one of his earthly temples... but always inside. It was as if he was hiding from the sun and the moon. He never was out among the people who worshiped him any more.

Cupid hadn't made any matches since Glory had died. He blessed no marriages, nor did he offer any advice to those who wished to woo and romance a suitor. Petitions went unanswered and offerings went unnoticed. His only task was to systematically redecorate all of his temples.

Gone were the cheerful whites and deep blushing reds. Gone were the gilded mirrors and sweet scented flowers. Dark somber colors replaced what was once bright and sunny. Blacks and crimsons stained the walls and furniture. The cut flowers were allowed to wither and dry, leaving cracking brown leaves to flutter to the dingy floors. All mirrors had sable velvet draped over them, reflecting nothing and no one any longer. Incense burners held only cold ashes, no delicately scented smoke billowing out of them.

And dark winged Cupid held court with no Priests or parishioners. Acts of love and devotion were banned from his sight by his own declarations. Gloom and pain echoed silently in his once laughter filled halls.

*

The Mischief God was more difficult to track down. No one had seen him and he would answer no summons. His Olympian temple was dusty and held the air of abandonment and he held claim to no earthly temples or cadre of Priests. His most loyal followers were but mere children and they felt the pall of his loss deeply.

No laughter from childish games rang from village to village. The young mortals went about with their chores with sad eyes and lack of spirit. Parents fretted at the lack of happiness evident in their babes, even as they silently rejoiced at the absence of pranks and misdeeds that they usually faced.

And none carried the invisible signs of being touched by the young Mischief God, so there was no way to trace his passing. The Goddess of Love was left to simply pop into a location randomly and scan the area with her Godly senses, hoping against hope that she stumbled upon him.

Finally, after much trial and error, luck was with her.

With haunted eyes that saw nothing, he walked amongst the mortals spreading chaos and hopelessness randomly and without thought. All his senses were turned inward, focusing pain and rage and frustration upon himself, his mind eating away at its own synapses.

The very sight of him broke her heart anew.

*

Aphrodite hadn't been sure what to expect when Strife and Cupid were brought together again. As far as she knew, Strife had disappeared as soon after Glory's birth as he was able. And until this very moment, the two grieving Gods had been apart.

However, her vague fears of yelling, crying and accusations were unfounded. When she appeared in her son's temple with his Consort in tow, Cupid had merely stood up from his darkened throne, opened his arms wide and waited. A mortal heartbeat later, Strife had dashed across the room and nestled into his embrace. Silently, they clung to each other. Both of them shook and shuddered with the enormity of their emotions, but not a sound was uttered from either God. It was as if no mere words could contain nor express the depths of their suffering.

After a long moment, the Love Goddess intruded on their misery. Walking over to them, she laid a gentle hand on the shoulder of each of them.

"I'm sending you both to Poseidon. He has offered you both sanctuary in his Realm. I want you both to accept it. Olympus is ready to tear itself apart and I will feel better if you are both far away from the fallout. He didn't give me all the details, but I got the feeling that he knows something that I don't... and that whatever it is will help you both. So... I'm going to send you to him. Now."

Two sets of eyes turned to look up at her. No hope, nor any anger, lingered in either pair. They were both empty. Hollow. Hurt beyond caring anymore. Nothing could be done to them that could possibly add to the pain they shared. And as such, they didn't object to her decision. They merely accepted it.

Leaning forward slightly, Aphrodite pressed a gentle kiss upon her son's forehead and then turned to press one onto his Consort's forehead as well. With the soft touch of her lips upon their skin, she blessed them with a wave of her love and a sense of her hope that the future would turn out to be better than the present.

Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled in her power, gathering it close to her breast. And with one sweeping wave of her arm, she pushed out that power and wrapped it around both of the younger Gods standing silently before her. Space and time warped and bent to her will. A flash of intense light, a sizzling cascade of silver sparks and a shower of sweet scented flower petals exploded before her. When it cleared, Cupid and Strife were gone.

To Poseidon. Her father.